Ed Edd n Eddy A look back
by julian123
Summary: this is a review of EEnE (T for cursing)
1. Chapter 1

Ed Edd n Eddy was my favorite TV show growing up, and to this day I still love it. If I had to rank it, it would probably be my second favorite show of all time, right behind FullMetal Alchemist. So what makes it so special? Why Did I and so many other kids fall in love with this show? Why did it become so popular? And Boy did it get popular at its height in 2005 79% of kids in the U.S. watched Ed Edd n Eddy, plus it got 6 seasons, 4 specials and a movie, that's unprecedented in a kids cartoon. Well I Think I know why, for two key reasons.

One it's funny, there are very few bad episodes as almost all have great jokes both in just character interaction and pure uncontrolled slapstick. Tell me that you never laughed at this scene from "Once Bitten Twice Ed":

Eddy [as Baron 'O Beef Dip] "Quick, bend over!" [Ed bends over and hits head on table] "Pull up your feet." [Ed pulls his feet and falls] "Now, eat your mattress!"

Ed: [looks at his bed then looks back at Baron 'O Beef Dip] "Yum!" [heads over to his bed and starts eating it off-screen, Double D comes in with the rocket jammed in his ear]

Edd: "Excuse me, Ed. Is this your [sees Ed eating his mattress]- GOOD LORD MAN!"

Ed: [after eating his mattress] "That hit the spot!"

Edd: [exasperated] "Ed! What have I told you about the needless taxing of your digestive system?"

Or how about some of the slapstick, like the Armenian secret hot sauce?

The humor was never that daring like say "Animaniacs" but it was still full of energy and effort put in by the writers.

Two it was relatable. Despite all of the slapstick, fourth wall jokes and unrealistically durable bodies, the characters all acted like kids. They saw the world as kids and interacted with each other as kids (for the most part). Everyone had a character they could relate to whether it be one of our three Eds or one of the other kids from the caul-de-sac. And that's one of the reasons the humor was so potent. You cared about the kids you wanted the Eds to succeed but at the same time you understood why the other kids got mad at them.

And with that Lets look at the characters.

First you have the three Eds the three stooges of animation. They are some of the greatest comic foils ever written they just work off each other perfectly and all have memorable personalities

Eddy is the schemer and the leader of the group he's rash greedy and very very egotistical. He is the one who come up with the scams and as a result always gets the group screwed in the end, As a kid I liked Eddy just fine, he was never my favorite character but I never disliked him. Even when he was being a jerk to his friends he still is really likeable.

Double D Is the brain of group, and what a brain he is. He designs all of the scams and is a genius at it. He was my favorite character growing up I really liked him and related to him. I was a somewhat smart kid growing up though not nearly as much as Double D but he made me want to be as smart as possible. And growing up he was one of my heroes. But now that I'm older he's no longer my favorite. While still very funny he really doesn't have that many good jokes, I'm not saying he gets bad jokes rather he doesn't get many jokes at all. At least when he does they work well.

Ed is the brawns of the group he does all the heavy lifting and is as dumb as a rock and not to mention a duck J he is also a total horror and monster otaku. He loves horror comics and movies and is only hinted to like superheroes. Along with that he is obsessed with the following: Chickens, buttered toast, gravy and chunky puffs cereal. He is my favorite character now. For one thing I related to him now that I'm a total nerd and he gets some of the best lines in the whole show. He is impossible to not like and, he is just so clueless it's impossible not to laugh, but the show never makes the mistake of getting mean spirited about his low IQ. Ed is always a cheerful kid who always knows the right non-sequester to say.

But what about the other kids you ask? Well…

Kevin sucks that's it. He's just a dick. His hatred of the Eds while somewhat understandable is just plain cruel. He's just the macho jock no good jokes and no likability he's just the antagonist, but that doesn't mean he's the worst oh no there is someone far worse.

Sarah, what more do I have to say she is the Asuka of cartoons no one likes her, and I hater her. She is the purest form of evil Screw Chernabog from Fantasia this girl is awful. She is Ed's little sister, and is a winy spoiled brat who uses the fact she is younger than Ed to make him do her bidding under the threat of "I'm telling mom!" she has a shorter temper than Glen Beck and always beats up our three heroes! Does anyone like her!? If you do please comment! I want to know why!

Jimmy is her best friend he is a timid shy kid who gets beatings from squirrels and is gay I'm not kidding even Rolf knows it, as he once tells his goat victor to let go of him by saying "Victor let go of the confused and delicate one!" now since he's Sarah's BFF you might think they make good comedic foils, well in theory they could but not in practice none of jimmy's slapstick is funny and no good jokes are even attempted of his weird friendship with his total opposite.

But they are the only bad characters as the other residents of the caul-de-sac are all very funny and likable.

I love Johnny he is my favorite character besides Ed, I always related to him and found him hysterical. So much so my first fanfic "Johnny's Bully" stared him. He's as much an odd ball as Ed and just as funny to boot so much so that my only two complaints are that we don't see him enough in the show and that he becomes the villain at the end of the movie. And let's not forgets Johnny's best friend…

Plank is this show's badass, screw Batman, Sebastian Michaelis and The Doctor. He is the quintessential awesome character. The best part is he's just a plank of wood! Is he alive is it all in Johnny's mind? We don't know but he is still really cool, I mean you see him drive a bus in the movie!

Nazz is ok. She's like the old Lola from the Looney Toones. Her comedy comes from how others react to her, not her own personality. To be fair she does get a few good lines like "That's the last time they mess with Nazz Van Bartonschmeer" and she isn't just a dumb blond she is nice and doesn't complain about her looks… for the most part.

Rolf is the creator Danny Antonucci's favorite character so he must be funny, and he is. An immigrant from "the old country" Rolf is the son of a shepherded. Because of this he is very old world and spends his time farming. He has many animals like Wilfred the pig and Victor the goat (who may be female as he has "milk spouts"). He says old world things like "May the fleas from your cow inflame your rhubarb!" He truly is a great character.

And last but not least the Kankers. The three half-sisters who all have crushes on the Eds. They are what Kevin and Sarah should be, funny. They, while not in any way relatable or likeable as people are very funny, they have good jokes and are well written.

Lee is the leader, brash and particularly cruel she of course likes Eddy.

Marie is less defined and almost undistinguishable from Lee but she is a bit more jealous, she likes double d.  
May is "Duller than a truck tire" and less evil than her sisters and loves Edd.

Now let's talk technical

The animation for EEnE is well done. The inconsistent outlines are homage like the rest of the show to more old cartoons. The animation is fluid and they hide budget limitations well. It's a shame AKA studious hasn't made anything of note since EEnE, because they really are talented. There are goofs in almost every episode which is inevitable since EEnE was until season 5 all hand drawn, In fact EEnE was one of the last cartoons to be hand drawn.

The voice acting is also superb and just shows the love and effort put into the show. All the VAs are well casted and well preformed. If I had to pick a few standouts they would be:

Tony Sampson as Eddy

Matt Hill as Ed

And Peter Kelamis as Rolf

The only bad performance is Kathleen Barr as Kevin but only in the beginning as she sounds like a girl trying to sound macho, but dose get better as she sinks into the role quite well.

Now that we have the basics down why is this show so good?

Well like I said it has great humor. It's fun and makes you relate to the characters. Also effort, this show feels alive It's not just a show made because it's based on something popular like "The annoying orange" no this show was made with pure love put into it, and you can tell just by watching it.

But there is one more thing that makes me love it so much, it's feel. Now what I mean is how well it creates a nostalgic environment, and that's powerful. The show is so much more than just silly slapstick or an homage to old Felix the cat shorts. This show has captured what it's like to be a child. That's why I love it so much. It is powerful, it makes you feel like a kid again in many aspects. One the Animation looks like something a kid would draw and feels real, two the jazz soundtrack creates a wonderful atmosphere. And three the characters like I said act like kids they aren't just cardboard cutouts, they have definable personalities and they view life and there world as kids. You know how they never leave their immediate surroundings until the movie? Well, and this is just what I think, it's because they view the world in a small way much like in the movie "Only Yesterday " the kids see a small world and never step out of it. And that is a big part of being a kid, the innocence of just how big the world really is. That is why this show is so strong.

To close off I will give you MY top 10 episodes

10: Pain In The Ed

9: Avast Ye Eds

8: Honor Thy Ed

7: One Of Those Eds

6: Ed Edd n Eddy's Boo Haw Haw

5: An Ed Is Born

4: They Call Him Mr. Ed

3: Don't Rain On My Ed

2: One + One = Ed

1: Season 5 (I can't pick a favorite, I know the show took a step down in writing but it is the height of the whole nostalgic beauty I was talking about, like that scene in "cool hand ed" where the three Eds and Johnny are looking over the horizon as a trumpet plays it creates a wonderful environment)


	2. a correction of an error

This is a quick correction of a mistake; EEnE was not one of the last shows to be hand drawn. It was the one of the last to be hand painted rather than use digital cell paint which is now the norm. That is why from the fifth season when they did switch on the colors are much richer which is kind of cool. From seasons one to four the kids are in summer so the dryer hand painted animation reflects that, but once it is fall the colors become darker to reflect the change of season. I don't know if this was intentional but if not then cool they did something subtle without knowing it.


End file.
